Menton. Beach with umbrellas 1931

Zinaida Serebriakova created ‘Menton. Beach with umbrellas’ using watercolor. The eye is immediately drawn to the lively interplay of light and shadow. This animates a scene filled with beachgoers and their colorful umbrellas. The composition is structured around a series of horizontal bands - the beach, the sea, and the sky - which are punctuated by vertical elements like the umbrellas and figures. Serebriakova uses colour to delineate space. The cool blues and greens of the sea contrast with the warmer yellows and oranges of the umbrellas and sand. The brushstrokes are loose and fluid, creating a sense of movement and immediacy. Semiotically, the umbrellas function as signs of leisure and relaxation. They offer protection from the sun. Yet, the structure of the painting does more than just represent a sunny day at the beach. It invites us to consider how our engagement with images of leisure shapes our understanding of place and identity. The scene suggests broader cultural narratives of escape and modernity.